Post by rainman on Nov 8, 2007 7:03:17 GMT -5
WVU men blank Villanova, 2-0, in Big East tourney
MORGANTOWN — No. 3 seed West Virginia scored a pair of first-half goals and used stellar defense to record its school record 13th shutout of the season, defeating No. 6 seed Villanova 2-0 in the first round of the Big East tournament Wednesday night at Dick Dlesk Stadium.
The Mountaineers scored first in the 14th minute when senior midfielder Dan Stratford struck a corner kick into the box and defender Jason Bristol headed the ball past Villanova goalkeeper Jason Friel to give WVU the early lead.
The goal was Bristol’s third of the year. All of them have come off of set pieces set up by Stratford, who added to his school record with his 27th career assist.
“Jason Bristol has come through really well. He’s certainly been a danger on these set pieces, and I’m really happy for him and happier for the team,” coach Marlon LeBlanc said. “He’s not giving anything up in the back either which is what I have noticed the most.”
WVU struck again in the 28th minute when Stratford received a pass from Pat Carroll 15 yards from the goal. Stratford promptly booted a perfectly placed rocket into the top left portion of the goal to make it 2-0. The goal was his third of the season, and it marked his first three-point game of the year.
“I expect Dan to get goals and assists. I expect him to serve great balls in on set pieces, and he did that tonight and it certainly paid huge dividends for us,” LeBlanc said.
West Virginia (13-5-1, 7-31) dominated play in the first half, outshooting the Wildcats 8-3, while holding a 61 advantage on corner kicks.
The Mountaineers relied on their stellar defense in the second half to record their sixth straight shutout. The defense leads the nation in goalsagainst average.
WVU finished with a 13-11 advantage on shots and a 62 edge in corner kicks.
The Mountaineers now travel to Louisville on Friday night to face the Cardinals in the quarterfinal round. They have not played Louisville since earning a 2-1 victory in Morgantown last season.
“It’s going to be a tough game. They are an upstart team,” LeBlanc said.
“They will be a difficult nut to crack on the road, but our team has cracked a lot of nuts on the road so far this year. I’ve got complete faith in the expectation that we are going to go out to Louisville and get a result.”
MORGANTOWN — No. 3 seed West Virginia scored a pair of first-half goals and used stellar defense to record its school record 13th shutout of the season, defeating No. 6 seed Villanova 2-0 in the first round of the Big East tournament Wednesday night at Dick Dlesk Stadium.
The Mountaineers scored first in the 14th minute when senior midfielder Dan Stratford struck a corner kick into the box and defender Jason Bristol headed the ball past Villanova goalkeeper Jason Friel to give WVU the early lead.
The goal was Bristol’s third of the year. All of them have come off of set pieces set up by Stratford, who added to his school record with his 27th career assist.
“Jason Bristol has come through really well. He’s certainly been a danger on these set pieces, and I’m really happy for him and happier for the team,” coach Marlon LeBlanc said. “He’s not giving anything up in the back either which is what I have noticed the most.”
WVU struck again in the 28th minute when Stratford received a pass from Pat Carroll 15 yards from the goal. Stratford promptly booted a perfectly placed rocket into the top left portion of the goal to make it 2-0. The goal was his third of the season, and it marked his first three-point game of the year.
“I expect Dan to get goals and assists. I expect him to serve great balls in on set pieces, and he did that tonight and it certainly paid huge dividends for us,” LeBlanc said.
West Virginia (13-5-1, 7-31) dominated play in the first half, outshooting the Wildcats 8-3, while holding a 61 advantage on corner kicks.
The Mountaineers relied on their stellar defense in the second half to record their sixth straight shutout. The defense leads the nation in goalsagainst average.
WVU finished with a 13-11 advantage on shots and a 62 edge in corner kicks.
The Mountaineers now travel to Louisville on Friday night to face the Cardinals in the quarterfinal round. They have not played Louisville since earning a 2-1 victory in Morgantown last season.
“It’s going to be a tough game. They are an upstart team,” LeBlanc said.
“They will be a difficult nut to crack on the road, but our team has cracked a lot of nuts on the road so far this year. I’ve got complete faith in the expectation that we are going to go out to Louisville and get a result.”
